Rudiger: I’ve Came To Roma To Win The Scudetto

Roma have announced the signing of Stuttgart defender Antonio Rudiger on a €4m season-long loan deal with option to buy at the end of the season for a further €9m next summer.

The 22-year-old was considered one of the most promising talents in the Bundesliga and has already made six appearances for Germany.

“It’s a great pleasure to be here and I’m delighted to wear the Roma colors,” the 22-year-old told Roma TV.

“I chose Rome because it’s a great city with a lot of culture and I want to be a part of this great team.

“I play center-back and I can also play right-back but I prefer to operate in the middle. As for my style of play, I play hard, I love to tackle and I’m quick too but there’s a lot of things I have to improve in my game.

“I can score more goals from corners. I think that’s one of the things I have to work on. I still have to improve on every aspect of my game because I am a young player. I can learn a lot in football, particularly from great players like De Rossi and from my team-mates at the back, Manolas and Castan.

“There are a lot of great players here like Totti, Edin Dzeko, Pjanic, Maicon and Gervinho. I think we have a very good team.

“I’ve heard a lot about Italian football because I played with guys like Kuzmanovic, Molinaro and Lukas Podolski. They told me Serie A would be a good move for me.

“The Champions League is one of the reasons why I came here and I’d love to make my debut in the competition.

“I want to be 100% fit to help the team and I came here to win trophies, the Scudetto. And for me personally, I want to develop further as a player and human being.

“‘Grazie’ to all the Roma fans and I will do my best whenever I wear the Roma jersey. Forza Roma!”

Roma coach Rudi Garcia admitted earlier this week he had concerns over his defence and Rudiger’s arrival should calm concerns following French defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa’s recent departure for Lyon.

Rudiger represented Germany at various levels before making his senior international debut for in 2014, when he was just 21 years old.

Roma, distant runners-up to champions Juventus last season, open this season’s Serie A campaign away to Verona in Saturday’s early game.